RF5BPilot

Thanks all. I checked it last night. The slow charger had been on several days and was in "float" mode, meaning there wasn't a significant short drawing power. The charger isn't strong enough to really make the battery hot, so didn't attribute anything to the battery being cool. With lights and radios on, it fired right up. While running, the amp meter seemed to have pretty normal readings. Later in poor weather I will probably take the battery out and have it tested. Will need to make sure whoever does it has a tester that can adjust to a smaller battery (about the size of a large garden tractor battery rather than a 500+ amp typical auto battery). I do keep a solar panel on it for trickle charging when it's not used....but if there's a real problem, I doubt it would keep up with a serious internal drain. So, my best guess is that (especially since tha battery was pretty new and has been kept well charged) -- it is ok for the time being.

I guess removing it wouldn't be too hard. I was just thinking narrowly that I didn't have a tester that I could use to apply a load. Will see what places are nearby that might test it. I may get an indication of major problems when I first crank it over. Also, I suppose, if there's a short, the battery charger may not go into "float" mode and just keep charging.

I have a vehicle with a battery that is less than a year old. A few days ago, I accidentally left a circuit on and the battery slowly ran down to flat dead over night. (Even though it was a small draw, it's a small battery.) The battery is a traditional, flooded cell, removeable cap (i.e., put in distilled water) battery. I put on a slow charger that, over the past couple of days, should have fully charged the battery. The short question is, should I trust it now? Is there a cell that has gone bad? (I realize that this probably shortened its overall life....but I'm more interested in its current health.) Possible tests include: checking output voltage & specific gravity of the fluid from each cell. Any recommendations about testing to assess whether I should get a new one? Thanks.

...e-gas for that" Since he's satisfied all the requirements, clearly it's just an advanced case of seat dementia....cured only by a younger car or long vacations.

I don't mean to change the subject, but what kind of calculations can you do to select a tire? (I'm not arguing, I simply have never heard of any formulas or numeric approaches to tire selection.)

Check at RennList -- this was a recent thread there.

Hi, I have 24 months on the CPO warranty. I think the CPO counts for a lot. The coverage is reassuring, as well as the inspection it had to pass to permit the coverage. It also helps when talking to the service dept. to be able to say you bought it there in the same breath as your request. Hope you enjoy it. One advantage of a cab is that you may be less driven to add louder mufflers. :-) Saves money all around.

I happen to use Griot's on my silver 996. It is a bit of work, but seems to last a long time (esp. since the car is under cover at home and at work). A couple of points have made a difference for me: - I used to live in the Midwest where we pushed wax into every crevice to help keep out road salt--and the cars looked it. A local detailer emphasized getting the wax close to, but not in seams--which makes the removal/buffing a lot easier. - Something I never expected was that different brands of wax can look better on some paint colors than others. I guess it is due to some of the base tints or formulations in the wax. However, it is worth trying several different brands side-by-side on the same hood/fender and see if one of them really stands out for your paint color. I had a darker car and the Zymol looked especially good on it. It was less impressive on some others. So, it's worth a little time on an afternoon if you're trying to dial in the best shine for the effort. - On cars that are left out more, I will sometimes use Nu Finish as a base "sealant" to help keep out weather, long-term -- then follow with a wax for extra shine. Has seemed to work well in protection & looks. (ok...I overdo things sometimes...) - In attending a concours seminar, a fellow made the point to only use car wash liquids that are "clear" in the bottle--not ones that have solids (creamy looking). He was looking for best shine only. He reported using Meguire's Gold Class, Sonax and P21 waxes depending on the color of the car he was prepping for judging.

Without having a side-by-side test, I think the question about which is best is unanswerable...but about which Many have an opinion. Want more opinions? Just add beer. I chose the Escort SRX. So it is "built in" with two detector/emitters in the front openings for the radiators and one over the rear license plate. I paid to have a "stealth" install where the normal display head is inside the console (I can remove a carpeted side to get to the controls) and it uses the remote speaker (under the dash). Just below the radio on the side of the compartment, there is a small button I can push to mute or change the volume of the system. Under the dash (where it is easy to reach without looking) is a toggle switch I can flick to turn it off completely. So, the only visible sign that there's anything in the car is the warning LED which was added to the platic trim collar for the warning flasher switch. Probably 10 times in the last year I've had the laser detector warning go off. 3-4 of those times I was at a speed where it could have resulted in a ticket. Several times were on sections of road where I often drive and I never could find the source of the laser. Others turned out to be obvious LEO's ahead monitoring traffic. In no case was I pulled over. To be fair, I often drive in a "gray area" where even without a detector you may or may not get a ticket for being that far over the limit. So, I sort of hedge my bets. I've never had the relationship with a LEO to actually go out on the road and see if his laser gun fails to show a reading the way it's supposed to (until you are within so many feet of the gun). Yet, twice, I was the only one on the road in front of the laser. I did slow immediately (trying to reduce speed before I hit the distance where the gun would overpower the emitters). The general tests on the SRX have been good. I think the price is high. However, there were two main reasons I chose the SRX. It has been my experience that if a cop sees a detector, that tends to increase the chance of a ticket (vs. a warning) on the assumption that you intended to speed and avoid enforcement. Also, owning a Cab, I didn't want to increase the chance of someone cutting the top or damaging the interior just to steal a detector. This is probably not the right choice if you are serious about concours events. [Orient Express would know.] There have been a number of threads on whose test to believe and which recommendations on the web are biased. I try to simply find tests from more that one source. Part of the problem is that no matter how good the detector, there will be conditions under which you will still get a ticket for speeding. For me, that means that getting the absolute best detector available isn't as important as combining a reputable detector with prudence. So, as long as you stay within the major brands, it may be at a point where you shop more for price and features that are right for you.

My thoughts exactly. "Everything that can be invented has been invented." - Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899 Hm-m-m-m. Yet, we're still surprised on occasion.....

Has anyone tried these new lifts from Sears that don't need separate jack stands? http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?...UseBVCookie=Yes

For a MY03 996, would you still replace the cap every couple of years (even if it came with the newer version)?

Seems like the vette vs. Porsche argument is about the same as comparing domestic beer to imported wine. Both can get you drunk -- but that's not what you usually buy a good wine for. IMHO, it is hard to improve on the basic factory configuration for a car that you will use on the street. You can make it different (louder, firmer ride, sometimes higher horsepower {more often the mods just change the power band than actually increase hp}) -- but you usually give up as much as you gain. I would encourage you to try the stock configuration for a while. The most performance limiting factor in a Porsche is often the person behind the wheel. Money spent on a good driving school might produce higher speeds than add ons.

Is there a post that describes how to remove the front bumper? (or is it patently obvious once you look under the car?) Thanks.

For an '03 996 Cab manual trans, mixed driving with more highway, I generally get about 24-26mpg; mixed driving with more city miles, closer to 22. Last weekend drove 75 miles to another town. Set the cruise control at 63 and got 30pmg one way, 29mpg coming back (based on calculations, not just the computer). A day at PCA Drivers Skills was closer to 15mpg. Am quite pleased with the mileage.

If a car is a CPO (and thus has an extended warranty), is it safe to assume that a DME report would be "negative" (i.e., wouldn't show signs of abuse)?

Have been wavin' & a blinkin' since '68. Probably won't be able to break the habit. Actually, with the 356's, blinking was rather unique since very few cars had a momentary headlight switch on the turn signal stalk.

The RMS issue has probably been discussed ad nauseum. However, it seems to be rare in any 996 from 2003 onward. Since most pre-2003 cars either never had the problem or have been repaired, it is fairly likely that you wouldn't see an RMS problem in a pre-2003 you might buy. Thus, purchasing a used vehicle is more a matter of assessing its condition & prior treatment (like any other car).

This is a late response, but the aircraft community commonly uses oil analyses to track the health of their engines (where just a rebuild on a 6-cylinder engine may cost over $25K). I think oil analyses are helpful, but mostly to track the health of an engine you own (with the goal of identifying problems as they start to happen rather than waiting for a catastrophic failure). Typically you want to establish a baseline for an engine, then watch the trends over time. The oil anlaysis labs are helpful in telling you what changes in the trends might mean. Oil analyses are less helpful as a one-time analysis on an "unknown" engine. I suspect that it may be more helpful on pre-996 engines where you and an Indy might do a partial intervention, rather than just swapping for a factory rebuilt motor. James

The Valentine 1 & Passport 8500 are both excellent...although owners seem to claim fewer false alarms for the 8500. For my 996 Cab, I chose a built in detector. I've been pleased with the Escort SRX. A local shop installed it and mounted the display inside the console (fairly easy to get to via a side panel). A single LED was added to the emergency flasher switch on the dash. So, as you look in the car, the only evidence of a detector is the single LED (with a hidden on/off toggle under the dash). Have had the laser shifters activate several times so far. No response by LEO's. James